Abbott in conspiracy to topple government: PM

Prime Minister
Julia Gillard
has accused
Tony Abbott
of supporting a conspiracy to topple a democratically elected government.

With the political year ending as poisonous as it began, Ms Gillard on Friday demanded the Opposition Leader “extract himself and his political party from the filth they’re rolling in’’.

“And the only way of doing that will be by coming clean,’’ she said, in her first public comments on Wednesday’s dismissal by a Federal Court of the sexual harassment claims against
Peter Slipper
, the former speaker.

Mr Abbott, also speaking for the first time in the issue, said the government was “hyperventilating’’. He stood by former minister
Mal Brough
, who has been chosen by the Liberal National Party to contest Mr Slipper’s Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher.

Mr Brough was harshly criticised by Justice Steven Rares for colluding with Mr Slipper’s accuser, James Ashby, to abuse the legal system to ruin Mr Slipper and for political gain.

Mr Abbott dismissed Labor’s calls for Mr Brough to be disendorsed.

“He’s been quite transparent and up front about his involvement,’’ Mr Abbott said.

Ms Gillard said Mr Abbott was insulting people’s intelligence, given Mr Brough “lied’’ when he was first quizzed on the issue.

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Initially, Mr Brough described as “nonsense’’ suggestions he had contact with Mr Ashby as the claims against Mr Slipper were being formulated. It later emerged there were three meetings, as well as email and text message exchanges. Mr Brough helped Mr Ashby arrange legal advice.

Ms Gillard said Mr Brough had used sexual harassment claims as a political tool and Mr Abbott was endorsing the behaviour by standing by Mr Brough. She said it was part of his inability to accept the result of the 2010 election.

NSW Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos told Sky News Mr Brough should have distanced himself from Mr Ashby. “It’s created this perception that Mal has just cooked all of this up to knock off Slipper,’’ he said.

Senator Sinodinos said Mr Brough has “got some questions to answer’’.

Mr Abbott again denied he had any specific knowledge of the allegations until he read the news on Saturday, April 21.

His office has rejected claims the press release issued at about 9.15am that day was written at about 11pm the day before.

A trace of the metadata on the original document shows it to have been written the night before, but Mr Abbott’s office maintains the time stamps on the Parliament House server were wrong.

Mr Abbott said he had a general idea the case was about to be lodged, saying rumours surrounding Mr Slipper for years intensified in the weeks leading up to the case being lodged.

Deputy Opposition Leader
Julie Bishop
admitted on Friday that Mr Ashby had rung her office when he was formulating his case against Ms Slipper.

“He spoke to one of my staff and said that he had workplace harassment issues with Mr Slipper and my staff advised him to seek advice from the Department of Finance,’’ Ms Bishop said.